In a Name
by Lily Kalanoa
Summary: Set after TRY. ZelXel sort of. Zelgadis thinks he's finally found a cure. But when everyone's favorite mazoku shows up, what is he up to? And what secrets will it reveal about Xellos?
1. A Cure?

Hello all. I can't beleive this is my first slayers fic. Wow. This isn't really yaoi, but it is sort of shounen ai. There are several themes running thoughout, but mostly just angsty goodness. Zelgadis thinks he's found a cure, but Xellos shows up to put his two cents in. When Zelgadis does something rash, Xellos responds with something foolish. And when Zelgadis finds out one of the mazoku's secrets, things just get out of control. Please R&R

On an unrelated note, I have another story (series, actually) that I absolutely cannot post on due to sexual content. If anyone out there likes my writing style and might be interested, could you contact me to host my story? Thx

* * *

Zelgadis lay on his side in silence. He lacked even the energy to curse the soft matress and pillow that swelled around his heavy form. Breifly he considered turning onto his stomach and letting the feathers smother him. Instead he rolled onto his back and stared at the lifeless ceiling.

He had been so close. Impossibly close. He had held it in his hands . . . And then it was gone.

Zelgadis had traveled to this city because it was renowned for its work with chimeric magic. Not only that, but they had a vast library, something that many towns like this one lacked. The moment Zelgadis had stepped inside he was in heaven. Shelves upon shelves of books on many different subjects. And an entire section devoted to the study of chimeras.

It took three days for him to find it. Something he'd long given up on as a hope for his cure. A Clair Bible manuscript. It had been more than a year since the battles with Gaav and since then Zelgadis had spent much time in the outside world, having only recently returned. He'd never thought he'd see another one of these.

His hands had been shaking as he opened the small book. There, in the very first paragraph were words he'd longed to read. "It is only possible to make an intelligent, speaking chimera if you begin with a human core." The document went on to detail a spell to do just that and, Zelgadis could only hope, a spell to reverse the process.

He had stared at the paper, reading quickly to learn what he wanted to know. And then two hands had slipped into his field of vision, reaching around from behind him. Zelgadis recognised the gloves and the yellow sleeves instantly. He'd tried to pull away, a scream of protest already forming on his lips. One of the arms closed around the chimera's body, holding him immobile, while the other hand reached forward to grab the papers. "I'm sorry, Zel-kun," the cheerful voice whispered in his ear, "but I can't let you see this." The papers ignited, quickly becoming engulphed in blue fire.

Zelgadis felt unable to move. He stared at the papers as they quickly turned to ash, not even bothering to drop them, letting his fingertips be scorched as the flames licked at them. He stood that way for some time, pressed tightly to Xellos' chest, staring at the empty space in front of him. After some time, Xellos had disappeared, but Zelgadis still didn't move, standing there in shock for hours or seconds, he neither knew nor cared.

Zelgadis suddenly let out a surprisingly upbeat chuckle and rolled onto his side again in the feathery bed. "I'll just have to go on," he whispered to noone. "Go back to how things were."

* * *

It had been nearly two months since Xellos had seperated from Lina and her gang of misfits. After returning from the outside world, the entire group had more or less split up. Filia set herself up in a nice house, Amelia had returned to her castle, and Zelgadis had gone to continue his quest for a cure. It had been nearly two months since Xellos had seen any of them.

Then the mazoku had gotten word from one of his spies. Zelgadis had enterd a city called Grimda. Xellos had recognised the name immediately and actually had to stop and think of why. As soon as he remembered, he was on his way. A displacement of air and Xellos appeared directly behind the chimera.

The mazoku smiled as he remembered it. The look on his face, the way he'd gone completely still, not even breathing. It had been a true treat for Xellos to drink in all that emotional pain. _Maybe I should check on him again._ It had been a week since then, but knowing the way Zelgadis brooded, he'd probably still be an all you can eat buffet.

Xellos went to work immediately, finally sensing Zelgadis travelling north of Grimda. _That's odd, he's not going towards a major city if he's going north. Chasing another lead, perhaps?_

Xellos teleported into the mountains several yards ahead of the chimera. He was hidden from sight now, but several more steps and Zelgadis would see him quite clearly. Xellos settled into a comfortable position, pulling his face into its typical grin. The shaman came into view in moments. His traveling mask was up, and his hood was pulled so low that even his eyes were nearly invisible in the shadow. He was staring at the ground as he walked, but lifted his gaze, sensing the other man. Without even the slightest hesitation, Zelgadis turned on his heel and began going the opposite direction.

Not deterred in the slightest, Xellos hopped up, floating after the retreating shaman. "Oi! Zel-kun! Ogenki desu ka?" The other man gave no response and Xellos tried again. "My, what nice weather we're having."

The chimera's only response was to quicken his pace. Xellos frowned slightly, this wasn't any fun. Surely he could get a reaction out of the shaman. Xellos was right behind him now and in a sudden flash of insight, he wrapped the other in a hug from behind. "C'mon, talk to me buddy!"

Zelgadis hardly even resisted, falling back against the trickster preist, and Xellos froze. Thin! Zelgadis was thin as a rod, he could feel the boy's ribs, every one of them. In fact, Xellos could hardly believe it, he _was_ fighting back, but was significantly weaker than he was only a week ago.

Slowly, Xellos relaxed his grip and Zelgadis turned to face him even as he took several steps away. "What do you want?" The words were little more than a whisper, but they were filled with hatred, enough emotion for Xellos to take a healthy meal and more.

Xellos squinted at the shaman, trying to get a good look at his eyes. The hood was in the way, so he reached out to lower it. Zelgadis batted his hand away and stepped further back, growling beneath his mask. Xellos' mouth made a little 'o' of surprise. "Come now, Zel-kun, it's just me!"

Zelgadis settled low in a fighting stance, hand poised to draw his sword. "Keep away from me, monster!"

Xellos frowned a little. "You're tired, Zel-kun. You can't fight, you've no strength."

"Strength enough to deal with you!" Xellos barely waited for him to finish before darting forward. He caught one of the shaman's hands in his own, preventing him from drawing his sword, and pulled away both mask and hood before the other could react.

Suddenly the two were at an impass, neither moving at all. Zelgadis was staring, eyes wide with surprise and something akin to fear. Xellos was staring for another reason. The chimera's eyes and cheeks were sunken. He was pale as a ghost. It was almost as if . . . "When was the last time you've eaten?"

The words seemed to snap Zelgadis out of his shock and he pulled away violently. "What do you care?"

"Why, of course I care about my favorite chimera in the world!"

Zelgadis was still for a moment before he growled again, sounding more like a caged beast than a human. "This is your fault," he ground out. Something in Xellos' mind switched and he was instantly on the defensive, though there was no visible change in his posture. Zelgadis' breaths were shallow now and he was glaring with a hatred far beyond anything Xellos had seen him display before. "It's your fault I'm still like this!"

Zelgadis leapt forward, both hands wrapping tightly around his foe's neck. Xellos made no attempt to dodge or avoid the attack. His hands wrapped around his attacker's wrists seemingly on instinct, but he looked perfectly calm. In fact, he slowly opened his eyes and his lips turned up in a very small grin. "You cannot kill me like this, Zel-kun, you know that." The words came out slightly choked, but otherwise perfectly normal.

Zelgadis' eyes darted back and forth for a moment; the boy was obviously trying to think of _some_ way to turn this situation to his advantadge. He locked eyes with Xellos, none of the hatred gone from his gaze. "Then I will use every astral spell I know and pour them directly into your body. Even _you_ couldn't survive that."

Xellos' smile grew slightly. "That is true. But do you think you could get even one of them off before I stop you?"

For another moment, Zelgadis was still, deciding what to do. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he drew breath. "Ra –" He didn't even see Xellos move. Zelgadis fell to his knees, coughing and sputtering on whatever it was the mozoku had shoved into his mouth. Zelgadis stared at the offending object where it had fallen to the ground. It was a dinner roll. Confused – and still coughing – the shaman looked up at Xellos.

Xellos' smile reached its normal happiness level and his eyes shut again. "You need to eat, Zelgadis."

Zel's eyes slipped closed and he looked as though he were in pain. "Leave me alone." All the fight seemed to drain out of the shaman and he struggled back to his feet. Brushing past the mazoku, he continued his trek north. "Just leave me alone."

The smile disappeared from Xellos' face in less than a second. He opened his eyes again, watching the chimera retreat. His entire countenance was nothing but serious as he followed his companion's progress.

It was several minutes before Zelgadis stopped walking. He didn't turn, but hung his head. "Why are you following me, Xellos?"

"That is a secret!"

"Stop it."

"No."

"Why are you following me!?" This time, the mazoku gave no answer. Zelgadis had pulled his mask and hood back on, so when he spun around, Xellos was met with nothing but eyes. Wide, pleading eyes with so much emotion, Xellos couldn't hope to sort through it all. "What do you want!?"

_To know what that feeling is. To understand those eyes. To know why it's affecting me like this. _The monster's mind was ready with answers, but Xellos remained silent. He kept his face serious and simply stared at Zelgadis. The chimera closed his eyes again and Xellos could see the little muscles around them twitching. "You've made your point. I can't fight you." Zelgadis sounded choked, his throat tight as he contained his emotions. "I realize I'm an easy meal for you, I can't change that." Xellos' eyes widened slightly in shock. To be perfectly honest, he had forgotten the original purpose of his visit to the angsty chimera. "I don't want to know you're there. If you're going to follow me, I can't stop you. But I don't want to know."

Xellos stared for a moment more before he replied, "Very well," and disappeared from sight. Zelgadis opened his eyes and saw nothing. Rather than releif, the chimera seemed to deflate a little more before he continued walking. Xellos, now invisible to the other, followed step for step, making no noise that could not be mistaken for the chimera's own.

* * *

Am I the only one that misses Silk and Stone? Anyway. This story will require an explanation soon for two reasons. First: this was written in two parts. This chapter and half of chapter two were written several months before I'd figured out where I was going with this story. So I appologise for any inconsistancies (I don't think there are any, but just in case).

Second: In Slayers fandom, there are several different takes on Zel's curse and on Xel's natural form. In the case of Zel, his third part is viewed as demon, mazoku, and a few other things. In this particular story, it doesn't really come up, but I'm sticking with canon and he is brow demon with no mazoku blood or powers.

Xel, on the other hand, tends to be more confusing. Some fans believe he was once human, some don't. Some think he's pure mazoku with a human-ish natural form, others opt for the 'black cone of energy'. I actually write several different theories, depending on my mood and the story, so my work isn't consistant and can't be used as a guide. (I know I don't have other stories up yet, but I might someday). Anyway, it will be obvious later what path I'm taking with this fic, I just wanted to rant about this for a couple minutes, I've put a lot of thought into it. I hope you like my insanity!


	2. A Curse

Hello again. I hope you like the story so far - it will be 5 chapters total. Thanks to both my reviews, even though ff is being wonky and didn't let me know about either of them. Oh well. Anyway -

This chapter: After Zel's stunt, Xellos is simply riddled with curiosity and shadows the chimera, only to find out a couple rather disturbing truths. The when Zelgadis does something truly unexpected, Xel is forced into actions he would have rather avoided. Things are starting to slip out of the mazoku's control.

* * *

The sun set quickly in the mountains, but Zelgadis didn't stop walking for several hours afterwards. When he did stop, it was more of a collapse than anything. He hit his knees hard, dropping his pack to one side, and then slumped into a vaguely sitting position. Drawing on reserves of energy Xellos would have thought long exhausted, the shaman set and started a fire before pulling something from his pocket. It was a badly crumpled piece of paper that had obviously been torn from a book.

Silently, Xellos peered over the other man's shoulder and was barely able to contain his gasp. It was a map. In fact, it was directions and a very poorly drawn map. It wasn't at all drawn to scale and the directions were things like 'east until you hit a gorge' and 'half day's walk west'. Zelgadis peered at the paper for a while, muttering to himself. Leaning a little closer, Xellos could make out his words. "Day's walk north. Next . . . east to the river . . ."

Xellos frowned deeply and looked to the top of the paper to see if it said what these directions were _to._ He wasn't able to contain his gasp as he read over the words there. Years ago, Rezo had left these directions to someone in the village with instructions that they be followed should they ever run across a dangerous chimera. Xellos thought about it a moment . . . he'd heard of the Red Priest's visit to Grimda. In fact, that had been when Grimda began its chimera research. _Zelgadis is going after some clue as far fetched as **this**? _Xellos looked at the man next to him. _You're starving yourself for **this**?!_

Zelgadis recrumpled the paper and shoved it into his pocket once again. Xellos moved back, expecting him to lay down for bed. To the mazoku's unendeing disbelief, Zelgadis actually fished into his bag again, pulling out several maps, compasses, a short telescope, and several other survival devices. Xellos watched in fascination as the shaman apparently tried to figure out exactly where he was. Zelgadis wasn't eating, and he wasn't sleeping either? _At least he didn't start this trip completely unprepared._ But the shaman also did not seem to be having success. Using his own knowledge of the area, Xellos mapped the directions in his head.

Zelgadis threw a compass to the ground in anger. "I don't understand! I've followed these to the letter, but I can't find the landmarks!" He growled to the fire.

Sure enough, by Xellos' calculations, the shaman was at least eight miles from where he should have been. _Well of course, his strength is down, he's not travelling as fast as a normal, healthy person. With these directions, it's no wonder you're lost._

"Xellos." The mazoku snapped his attention to the other man, afraid he'd made some noise to be discovered. Zelgadis was staring at the fire, apparently making a heavy decision. "Xellos, if you're still here, I . . ." He paused and swallowed thickly. "I need your help. Please." Xellos made no move, no sound. Almost immediately, Zelgadis buried his face in his hands. "I'm being rediculous. Even if he were still here, he'd never help me." The chimera spread out his sleeping roll and wrapped himself in his cape like a blanket. "Tommorow, east."

* * *

The sun rose to greet the day, bright and cold. It's first rays lanced across Zelgadis' eyes and he groaned slightly. He opened his eyes and pushed himself partway off the ground. Xellos was sitting quietly on the other side of the fire. It was, of course, only blazing because of the monster's power, having naturally died hours ago. Zelgadis looked at him and froze. Silently, he sat up properly, never shifting his gaze.

Xellos was serious, no hint of smile of his thin lips. "It's a weapon, Zelgadis."

The shaman's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. "What . . ."

"It's a device of murder, not a cure." Zelgadis lowered his gaze to the ground and Xellos continued. "Near as I can tell, it detects chimeras by their magical signiture. If you were to come in range of it, it would kill you instantly."

"No," the shaman whispered. "All this way . . ." Suddenly he looked up again, eyes accusatory. "I don't believe you."

Xellos was shocked at the words. "Zelgadis –"

"No! I have no reason to believe you! This is just another stupid game to you!"

"Zelgadis, I have never lied to you about your cure!" Xellos was growing angry now. Here he was, actually doing something _nice_ . . .

"Don't give me that. You destroyed my cure right in front of my eyes! I'm not going to let you take away what might be my last shot."

"Zelgadis, you'll die!"

"Who are you to say that's not what I want?" Xellos gasped, pulling the air into his lungs all at once. He _couldn't_ have heard that right. Zelgadis was staring at his hands now, a look of true pain in his eyes. "It was in my hands. I was holding it in my hands; the answer to all my prayers. I've been searching for almost longer than I can remember and I finally had it." His fists and eyes both clenched shut, a few tears escaping to streak down into his mask. "And then _you_ took it all away from me!" He looked up, pinning Xellos with a hateful gaze. "So you'll have to excuse me if, no, I don't believe you."

For a moment, Xellos was unable to put his thoughts to words. Finally he stood, glaring down at the chimera. "You'll never find it on your own, you're far off track."

"Then I'll die of exposure. Looks like either way, I get an end to this torture."

Xellos stepped around the fire and knelt only inches away from Zelgadis. He grabbed one of the shaman's hands in his own, a dagger appearing in his other hand. He pressed the tip of the dagger to Zelgadis' finger, drawing a line of blood and a startled gasp from the other man. "This dagger will pierce your flesh, Zelgadis. If you truly wish for death, finish it quickly. It's better than letting the elements slowly claim you, don't you think?"

The mazoku pressed the handle of the blade into Zelgadis' hand. He took it, staring intently at the drop of blood on the otherwise flawless metal. Xellos watched him closely, not even blinking in his intensity. Soon this whole episode would be over. Zelgadis didn't really want to die, he still had hope of finding his cure. He would return the dagger, maybe even try to attack the priest with it, and things would go back to the way they were.

Zelgadis smiled sadly behind his mask. "I always knew – I _knew_ there was a cure out there. It didn't matter what I had to do to find it, I knew it was out there. Somewhere. And I was right." He laughed, but the sound was forced and bitter. "I don't know if I can believe there's another one."

Xellos frowned and held out his hand, silently asking for his dagger back. "But there is always hope, Zel-kun."

Zelgadis dropped his head further, glaring now at the ground. He turned the dagger slightly, making the sun glint off of it. Then, without pause or warning, he lowered the blade to his opposite wrist, drawing a deep cut across the stone flesh there. Xellos let out a startled cry. He darted forward as Zelgadis fell backwards to the ground, grabbing his wounded wrist to try and stem the bloodflow.

Zelgadis growled angrily and raised his hand, still clutching the dagger. He swung his arm out, catching Xellos across the cheek as he retreated. "Get away," he growled, but the strength was quickly fading from his voice. "Just leave me alone."

Xellos couldn't move. He remained kneeling on the ground, one hand hovering over the deep cut on his cheek, staring at Zelgadis in disbelief. The chimera's breathing was short and shallow. He was in obvious pain as his life slowly drained away. Xellos moved forward again, leaning over the other and clamping down on the wound. Zelgadis made a noise of pain, but no longer had the strength to fight back or pull away. "I don't want . . . don't want my last sight . . . to be of you."

Xellos' eyes widened again in shock. He was ready to reply, but Zelgadis had fallen unconscious. Instead, he tightened his grip on the boy's wrist. He could feel the bones straining beneath his strength, but he ignored them. Stopping the bleeding took precident over a couple of broken bones.

* * *

Xellos sat reclined in a chair, exhausted. He'd never realized before just how difficult it was to manipulate stone flesh. It had taken quite a bulk of his energy to heal the wound and Zelgadis still hadn't woken up. The mazoku had brought him back to his chambers on wolf pack island. Zelgadis lay in Xellos' own bed, the bedding billowing up around him. He looked very small and insignificant, Xellos thought. His face was still tight as if in pain, his left fist lightly holding the blankets. His right hand was bandaged and put in a splint to protect it. Both were stained with blood.

Zelgadis groaned in his sleep and his head lolled to one side. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open and looked around him. When his eyes fell on Xellos, a whimper escaped his lips. "Where am I?" he managed to ask.

"Somewhere safe, where you can recover." Xellos stood, stiff muscles protesting the movement. He made a lazy motion and a bowl of steaming soup appeared in his hands. "You need to eat."

Zelgadis sat up, but made no move for the offered food. "I don't want your charity, Xellos."

"That does not change the fact that you need it."

Zelgadis hung his head slightly and allowed the bowl to be pushed into his hand. "Where is my cloak?"

"I removed it, and your mask. They were in the way." For quite a while, neither man spoke or moved. Xellos was the one to finally break the silence. "I never thought you'd actually do it."

"Clearly," Zelgadis sneered. "But then, you actually know very little about me, do you?"

Xellos sighed softly. "You're not eating, Zel-kun."

"Why do you care?"

"Zel-kun, I brought you all the way back to my home. I bandadged your wound and am doing my best to heal you. What makes you still think I do not care?"

Awkwardly, Zelgadis began spooning soup into his mouth left-handed. He didn't look at Xellos and the mazoku reluctantly settled into his chair again. They sat that way in silence until Zelgadis set the empty bowl aside and lay back onto the bed. "I think I hate you, Xellos."

The trickster priest laughed. "You've been saying that you hate me for years. Since the day we met."

"Xellos, can you give me even one reason why you did this to me?"

"I'm trying to save you, Zel-kun! I don't want you to die." Zelgadis glared at him until Xellos sighed again. "I destroyed those papers because I had to. They did not contain your cure, but they did contain a spell similar to the original. It would have taken you years to figure out a counter, if you figured one out at all."

"But there was a chance."

Xellos growled. "Yes. There was a chance. And you would have spent the rest of your life locked in a laboratory trying to figure it out." Xellos lowered his head a fraction.

"Who are you to dictate what I should do with the rest of my life?" Zelgadis remained lying down, but his voice was venomous. "You can't see the future, you're not omniscient. I could have been happy unlocking the secrets of that spell."

"If you settled for that spell, you would never have found another. You've far from exhausted your resources, you know. You may find your cure tomorrow, but with that spell you would miss that chance."

"Or I may never find a cure better than the one you stole from me. I would gladly settle for something that offers me such a good chance."

"You would have been miserable-"

"You don't know me! You have no idea what I would have been!" the chimera shouted with sudden force. "You don't know one damned thing about me so do _not_ tell me I would have been miserable. You don't know that, you never will."

Xellos was silent for a long time. He put a hand to his eyes, hiding his unusually solemn features. "You are, of course, correct. I know very little about you. "Where did you learn to weild a sword so well? Was it your grandfather that taught you magic? Can you cook? What is you favorite color?" At this point, Zelgadis, who had been glaring through tear-blurred vision at the wall, redirected his gaze towards Xellos. "When you met Lina, what was it that made you decide to help her? How far did you go in school? What games did you play growing up?" Zelgadis sat up. "Do you like animals? Can you sew? Where did you get your traveling clothes? Not to mention those cute pajamas."

"Xellos?" The mazoku stopped, falling into silence again. Without warning, he disappeared from the chair, leaving Zelgadis alone in the room.

* * *


	3. Pictures

It occurs to me that I haven't put a disclaimer in this story. Oh come on. If I owned it, wouldn't I be publishing this story for money instead of letting you read it for free?

This chapter: Zelgadis is trapped and confused. Desperate for answers, he strikes a bargain with his captor - a trade of information. But will he get the answers he wants? Or will he find out far more than he ever wanted.

* * *

Zelgadis was determined to be awake when Xellos returned. He stood, pacing the rather large room, fighting off his fatigue. He had already gone through every book in the vast bookcase that spanned an entire wall. It had been a pointless exercise as he found none he could actually read. Many were in an odd language he couldn't recognize. In fact, it was a fairly decent leap of faith that it was only one strange language and not several that balked him. Others crackled with a demonic energy, painful to the thouch. Still others, usually those Zelgadis had hope of reading based on the titles, opened to reveal only blanks pages.

Other than the bookcase, bed, and two large armchairs, the room was furnished with a large desk, but nothing else. Zelgadis had spent a good three hours trying to get a drawer to open, even one drawer. Nothing had worked and eventually he had given up and began pacing. As near as he could figure, however, he'd been pacing for at least two hours. He was still weak and he knew he couldn't continue much longer. Perhaps another try at the desk. Zelgadis sat on the stiff wooden chair and began thinking what spells he'd already tried on the locks.

"Wakey wakey, Zel-kun." Zelgadis jerked his head up, looking around quickly. Xellos was behind him, one hand on his shoulder, smiling his usual goofy grin. "Have you been snooping around? You need to have my staff to open this."

Zelgadis jumped to his feet and away from Xellos. As a result the chair hit Xellos in the chest and he doubled over in pain. Zelgadis reached out instinctively. "I'm sor-" he hesitated, then turned the motion into a solid shove. "You aren't hurt, you jackass."

Xellos straightened, smile firmly in place. "Are you hungry?" Without waiting for a response, Xellos waved his hand across the desk and another large bowl of soup appeared. "Eat up, all right? I'll be back in a minute or two."

Zelgadis reached for the priest, but he was already gone. He let out a curse and smacked the soup bowl angrily. It fell to the floor, shattering. Zelgadis resumed his pacing. After twenty minutes, Zelgadis sat down at the desk again, wishing he hadn't wasted the food. He waited another ten minutes before giving up on Xellos coming back any time soon. He didn't understand it. Why was he here, why was Xellos doing all this to torment him?

After some time - Zelgadis had given up on keeping track of how long it had been - his eyes began to drift closed again. The chimera sighed heavily and hung his head. He wanted answers and he was beginning to lose faith that he would get them. He was starting to think he'd be trapped here forever with no explanation at all. There was no door, he noted dimly. Even if he wanted to brave wolf pack island on his own, he couldn't leave this room without Xellos. And Xellos was not to be trusted or relied upon. Zelgadis sighed again.

Suddenly there was another presence in the room. Xellos had returned, standing quietly behind him. Zelgadis didn't move, feigning sleep. It wasn't hard, he was all but asleep to begin with. Xellos made a thoughtful noise and started to walk around the chimera. "Hm. Asleep again? You look so peaceful when you're unconsious. But you made such a mess . . . and that means you didn't eat." Xellos bent and waved his hand, making the spilled soup dissappear. Then he stood and turned on his guest. "Is it that you don't trust me?" he mused in a hushed voice, talking to himself. "What can I do to make you believe that I want to protect you?"

There was a pause and Zelgadis faught the urge to open his eyes. After a moment there was a sigh. "Ah well, not much I can do with you asleep, no matter how cute you are." The demon's presence was suddenly much closer. "Wakey wakey, Zel-kun." Zelgadis jerked backward, not having to try to look surprised. "I told you, you need my staff to open this desk, Zel-kun. Snooping won't get you anywhere." He waved his hands, yet another bowl of soup appearing.

Zelgadis growled, debating what to do. "White," he finally mumbled.

Xellos stopped, setting the soup aside. "What was that, Zel-kun?"

"You asked a bunch of questions earlier. I can't remember most of them, but my favorite color is white."

Bright purple eyes arched high in a smile, lighting up with apparent joy. "Really? You know, in some cultures white represents purity and cleanliness."

A frown. "And in some cultures it represents death."

Xellos's turn to frown. Within seconds it turned to a bright smile again. "What's your second favorite color?"

"My what?"

"Come now, everyone has a favorite color. Everyone has a second favorite color. Some people even have third and fourth favorite colors. What's your second favorite color?" Zelgadis hesitated, then mumbled something that couldn't be made out. Xellos leaned closer. "What was that?"

"It's blue, all right?" Xellos's eyes lighted with renewed joy, but the chimera kept going. "Dark, deep, rich, _royal_ blue. Not this pale mockery on my skin."

For a minute, Xellos was silent, his smile fading to something softer and somehow more ernest. "I know you want to get out of here, but I'm not letting you leave until you're a bit stronger. A few more soups and you should be able to handle real meals. Of course, I'll have to figure out what you like to eat."

The shaman glared. "Why are you doing all this?"

"You haven't regained any strength. Do you want me to force you to eat?"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes and stood. "That's not an answer. You want me to eat? Then tell me what I am to you that you would go through all this trouble."

Xellos only smiled, wagging his finger at the other. "Now now, that hardly seems fair. I did just say that I could force you to eat. Especially as weak as you are right now."

Zelgadis growled again, frustrated with the damn monster. If he was forced to be here, he would at least know why. "A trade then. You tell me your reasons and I'll answer any one question you want." Xellos looked thoughtful, but started to shake his head again. Zelgadis didn't let him speak. "Three questions."

Xellos stopped, thinking it over. "Three questions? And I get to go first." The shaman began to protest, but Xel cut him off this time. "I go first, or there's no deal."

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

Xellos thought about it for a minute before deciding on one of his earlier questions. "How did you get so good at magic and sword fighting?"

Zelgadis sighed and sat down again. "I started learning to fight when I was very young, mostly self-taught. When Rezo . . . when he did this, a lot of skill came with the spell. It was supposed to make me stronger and it improved my skills as well. Most of my spells I learned from Rezo afterwards." It was not a pleasant memory, but not a particularly probing question. "That's one," he finished.

"Really, came with the spell, huh? Fascinating." Xellos had a mock scientific air about him, one hand to his chin in thought. "All right, what is your favorite food?"

Zelgadis boggled at him. "You have a free shot and you're wasting it on that?"

"If you don't want to answer –"

"All right. Octopus. I've always liked octopus dishes, if they're prepared right. I like most seafood." He hesitated, but pressed on. He didn't want to go to all this trouble and then have Xellos get off on a technicality. "And chocolate ice cream," he added in a whisper.

Xellos looked positively delighted. "Who would have thought!"

"That's two!" Zelgadis reminded sternly.

"All right, all right. Last question." There was a pause and the look the mazoku gave made Zelgadis shiver. "Why do you hate me?"

"What? You've got to be kidding me. I've told you –"

Xellos cut him off again. "Ah ah, Zel-kun. I don't want to hear anything about me impeding your search, we both know that's just a convenient lie you tell. And it's not because I'm a monster. Surely that's reason to want me dead, but not for this level of utter loathing."

Zelgadis stared at his captor for nearly a minute. Xellos stared back evenly. "Do you really want to give up such a big secret just to learn one of mine?" Zelgadis still didn't answer and Xellos started to turn away. "I thought not."

"You're beautiful." The words were so soft even his sensetive ears barely heard them. But he did hear and he froze in place. "You're beautiful, all right? You're gorgeous and so strong. Even at my best you far surpass me and it was just handed to you! I gave everything I had and more for this, but for you it's all natural! I hate you because you're beautiful."

Xellos turned fully back to Zelgadis, ready to reply. "You think I'm . . ." The look of pure hatred he received made him stop. He frowned. Zel had actually answered, that meant he had to answer now, too, if he was going to keep his word. He wanted to keep his word, it was such a strange feeling. "You're my hope."

Zelgadis's eyes widened and his anger at least doubled. "What?"

Xellos's smile was back suddenly. "Hey, I never said you'd like the answer. I never even said you'd understand the answer! But now you have it. You're my hope and it's a terrible thing when hope dies. That's why I can't just let you die."

Zelgadis stood slowly, his mind working through the facts at an impossible rate. "I do understand," he whispered. Xellos gulped, his smile fading. He hadn't been expecting that. "What is it that you want, Xellos. What are you searching for?"

Zelgadis began advancing on the demon priest. "You think of me as your hope. But all I have is my search for a cure. What are you searching for? Tell me." His hand reached up, brushing against a pale cheek as he advanced.

Xellos retreated until his knees hit against the bed. "Zelgadis . . ."

"You've done all this for me, let me do something for you. Xel-chan." He poured tenderness into his touch, into his voice.

Xellos leaned back further, to the very edges of his balance. "Ze-Zelgadis . . . stop. You're hurt-hurting . . ."

The shaman leaned close, almost brushing his lips against the other man's. He let his hands trace along the priest's arms until he felt the staff and empty hand respectively. The other was completely off guard, letting his staff be pulled away. "Tell me your secret," he whispered, feeling the mazoku shake beneath him.

Suddenly Zelgadis pulled back, his hand bringing the gem of the staff into solid contact with the other's head. Xellos let out a pained gasp and crumpled to the bed beneath him. "Tell me so I can use it against you." Zelgadis told the unconscious body, letting his hatred to the surface again now that it wouldn't give him away.

Staff in hand, the shaman walked back to the desk, more determined than ever. After several unsuccessful tries at unlocking spells, he stood back slightly. An old game he played as a child came to mind and he tapped the desk twice. To his surprise, he heard several locks click open. Zelgadis set the staff aside and sat in the stiff wooden chair once more. The first drawer he slid open was the one in the center, right above his knees. Inside there were several small daggers and a stain that looked suspiciously like blood. He closed the drawer with a thunk.

The top drawer on the left held at least twenty small glass viles. Zelgadis stared for a moment before lifting one. It was filled with a dark liquid. Distantly he realized he'd never asked Xellos directly if he had a cure for his curse. It was possible that it was in one of these bottles. He uncapped the one in his hand and sniffed it cautiously. It bubbled when exposed to air and let off a strong acrid smell. Zelgadis replaced the cork and the bottle. It was possible that it was his cure, but it was far more likely that these bottles were filled with varrying poisons. He was fairly certain he couldn't trust anything he got from Xellos anyway.

There was a groan from the bed and Zelgadis glanced up, but Xellos didn't move. He decided to try the top right drawer and see what was in there that might reveal some of the mazoku's secrets. Curiously, it held a rather large stack of papers, looking deceptively like an ordinary desk. Zelgadis lifted the stack and froze. After a moment of shock he riffled through the papers quickly, eyes widening with each. They were pictures.

Pictures of him.

Dozens of them. Many were fully colored, intricate oil paintings. Just as many were quick, black and white pencil sketches. Several were even of Zelgadis as a human. Zelgadis rifled through more of the papers, finding a few with writing. It was that same alien language that he couldn't decifer, but the lines were arranged suspiciously in poem formats. At the bottom of the drawer were a few paintings of Xellos. A human Xellos.

There was another groan from the bed, but Zelgadis ignored it. He held one of the pictures close to his face, fascinated. Xellos lay beneath a tree, nose buried in a book. His hair was shorter and ruffled, similar to Zelgadis's own hairstyle, actually. He was wearing the simple clothes of a farmer and the field behind him appeared to be in the early stages of planting. Behind the relaxed boy – because while it was obvious he was Xellos, he was much younger than the mazoku appeared now – there was a shadow resembling a wolf and a nearly invisible, but obviously female hand.

Zelgadis gasped as his back was forced into the bookcase behind him. He looked up to see Xellos inches from his face. The priest was furious. His eyes were wild and his hair floated around his head from the power radiating off his body. One gloved hand locked around the chimera's wrist and twisted. Zelgadis managed not to cry out, but he had no choice but to let go of the parchment he still held. Xellos snatched the picture away and then pushed Zelgadis to the ground. Xellos slammed his fist into the bookshelf sending several volums toppling onto the chimera's head.

Xellos suddenly moved again, grabbing Zelgadis by his wrist, again and threw him bodily onto the bed. "You will eat," he growled, none of the fury gone from his face or voice. "You will recover, and you will leave. If you move from that bed again, you will regret it."

Zelgadis tried to sit up, but fell back in pain. His right wrist was still tender and splinted and it felt as if Xellos may have fractured his left wrist now, too. The mazoku turned his back, apparently not caring about the injury in the slightest, and gathered papers with fierce, angry motions. He threw them crumpled into the drawer and slammed it shut before dissappearing without a glance at the shaman.


	4. Answers

Not much to say, don't feel like talkin'. Hope you enjoy! This chapter - Zelgadis has found out more than he ever wanted to know about his captor. Now he has to figure out what to do about it. But what exactly can he do about it? Who other than Xellos knows about Xellos?

* * *

Zelgadis had fallen asleep almost instantly after the debacle with the desk. When he woke next, there was a large bowl of stew waiting beside the bed. Carefully, he sat up and reached for it; it was still hot. He reached for the soup and stopped, staring at his newly-splinted wrist. Zelgadis sighed and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He wondered when Xellos had treated the wound. Had he been asleep so long? A glance around the room revealed that the books were still laying haphazardly all across the floor.

The shaman finished his meal and stood, calmly walking to the desk. His mind was eager to supply several scenarios as to what would happen should Xellos return now. Zelgadis firmly ignored all of them and tried to open the top right door. It was locked, of course. The shaman sighed and bent, picking up a couple of books. He put them back on the shelf and bent to gather more. A few minutes passed and Zelgadis spent the time mulling over his last encounter. He couldn't remember seeing the priest so angry, and over something seemingly insignificant.

The paper almost escaped notice, Zelgadis was so lost in his thoughts. It was buried near then bottom of the books and Zelgadis pulled it out with curiosity. It was one of the poems, Xellos must have missed it. Suddenly an idea overcame the shaman and he began tearing books off the shelf again, completely forgetting his desire to clean. There was a book up here, he had seen it before and recognized the cover. Several volumns were pulled out and tossed to the floor before he found the book. It was a thick tome about dragons and monsters, written in the same alphabet as the poem. It was also a book Zelgadis had all but memorized in his early years of study.

Over the next several days, Zelgadis spent most of his time asleep. Every time he woke up, there was another bowl of soup, always hot, waiting for him. But he didn't see Xellos again. Whenever he was awake, he poured over the book and poem. It was three days before he had the alphabet deciphered and the poem translated into words he could understand. Or, words he could say in any case. Aside from a few words he was able to pick out of the reference book, he didn't know what most of the poem meant.

Or who it was about. A name recurred in the verses, but Zelgadis wasn't sure who it was referring to. There was no 'X' in this alphabet, so 'Zel' could be Xellos, or Zelgadis. The shaman wasn't sure which he was hoping for. With a sigh, he tucked the poem into the bandages around his wrist and lay his head down again. He was asleep in minutes.

Zelgadis yawned and stretched when he woke up again. He looked around as he sat up, instinctrively looking for Xellos, though he didn't expect to see him. What he did see shocked him into stillness. No longer was he surrounded by the dark polished wood and rich bedding he'd fallen asleep to. Instead, he was in a small, dirty hotel room with just a bed and small table in it. On the table was a small covered platter and Zelgadis got up, lifting the cover. It was a small meal of octopus and sushi. It was still warm, but there was no sign of Xellos.

* * *

"I can't believe it! We haven't seen each other in months!"

Zelgadis smiled bracingly as Lina hugged his waist tight. "It's good to see you, too." He was certain Xellos had dropped him in the same town as the dragon slayer deliberately. He didn't want to be there, didn't want to try and explain any of this to Lina or Gourry, the latter was thankfully absent at the moment. But, since he was here, Lina could be helpful to him. "So, Lina, I have something I wanted to ask you."

"First, tell me what you've been up to!" She glanced at the shaman's wrists none too subtely. "Where have you ben lately?"

Zel frowned behind his mask. "Searching for my cure. It's taken me to some rather . . . interesting places. More of the same, really." Lina frowned at him, disbelief clear in her eyes. Zelgadis pressed forward. "Why don't we sit down for some food. My treat."

All argument evaporated from the redhead and she practically bounced after the chimera into a small tavern. As a beffudled watress walked away with a triple order of everything on the breakfast menu and two of every sandwitch, Zelgadis worked up to his question again. "Lina, you know more about mazoku than I do. I was hoping you could answer a question I've run across."

"Me? Know more than you? Zel, you're a shaman, you know at least as much as I do. What is this about?"

"I don't know all that much, not about their history and things of that nature. I just need to know if you know one thing." The waitress returned with part of their order and Zel leaned closer to be heard over the inhaling of food. "I've been looking into how mazoku come into existance. Can you tell me what you know about it?"

Lina looked up to the ceiling, tapping a turkey leg against her chin in thought before that, too, was inhaled. "Well, I'm not really sure about the upper level monsters, since they've been around for so long. Lower level monsters, though are made by ones higher than them. A monster takes some core and then adds powers onto it until it's a monster like them. Most monsters started out as a chicken or a lizard or something."

Zelgadis nodded and stood. That was exactly what he'd been looking for. "Wait, Zel, aren't you going to eat something?"

Zelgadis looked down at the sorcerous and sighed. "Not eating certainly has caused more trouble than it's worth, of late." He picked up a sandwitch and headed towards the door. Once he was outside, he sped his pace. He wanted to get back to Wolf Pack island quickly, and he wanted to be far, far away when Lina realized he'd left her with the bill.

It was nearly three days before Zelgadis reached Wolf Pack Island. Knowing he couldn't get a boat to take him there, he walked straight to the beach and cast Ray Wing. Suddenly his body was lighter than air, floating up several feet before he rocketed forward over the water. What he would do once he got there, he wasn't entirely certain.

What he wasn't expecting was for Xellos to appear in front of him, mid-air. The sudden appearance broke Zelgadis' concentration and without warning the mazoku's hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping him from dropping like – well, like a stone. The purple haired priest was smiling broadly. "I think I can say with all honesty that I didn't expect you to come back here of your own free will."

For several moments, Zel stared dumbly at the mazoku. A million questions flew through his mind, everything from 'Where the hell have you been?' to 'Why the hell are you a slave to Jouou-sama?' Zelgadis frowned, finally settling on a simple one. "Why do you spell your name with an X?" Xellos' face for once showed every thought that passed through his mind. Apparently he hadn't been expecting that. Without warning, Xellos phased out of existance, leaving Zelgadis to freefall. The chimera recast his spell as quickly as he could but his shoulder still splashed the water as he once again achieved weightlessness.

* * *

Wolf Pack island was not somewhere one should wander around when not focused. Zelgadis, however, had very little choice in the matter. He was trying to concentrate on the terrain, knowing that any number of dangerous creatures lurked all around him, but he couldn't get Xellos' face out of his mind. He was practically walking blind. It was the wolf growling that finally drew the shaman out of his thoughts. It was a huge creature, baring its fangs and looking at Zelgadis as if he were made of rock candy instead of just rock.

Zelgadis let one hand drift over to the hilt of his sword and he took a step away from the beast. When he met something solid at his back, Zelgadis froze. Slowly he turned his head, catching a glimpse of large breasts and long blonde hair. Zelgadis gulped and took two steps toward the wolf, turning to face the real threat.

The Beast Master smiled at him genially. "And to what do I owe this unprecidentid pleasure?"

Zelgadis gulped, fighting the urge to retreat further. "I came here looking for you." The mazoku arched an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, a clear sign to continue. "I had a question."

She smirked. "I don't have your cure, I haven't heard anything about it. But I also have made absolutely no effort to find out about it. If you were to make it worth my while-"

"I'm not here about my cure." The blonde woman paused. She made a thoughtful noise and cocked her head the other way. "I'm here about someone else."

"Some . . . one? You're here about Xellos?"

"I want to know where he was. Before he was with you, I mean. I'll let you open the bidding . . . what would you take as trade."

"For information on my priest?" The woman took a step forward. She reached for Zelgadis' cheek and behind the chimera the wolf barked loudly. The two things combined to make Zelgadis jump a foot in the air, his body positively screaming at him to run as fast as his demonic blood could carry him. Jouou-sama smiled, a sultry laugh tumbling from her lips. "You know, there's a lot about this body of yours that I don't know. I would be willing to give a lot if I were able to study it."

Zelgadis shuddered at the thought, but forced himself to consider it. "What . . . would it entail, exactly?"

The blonde put one hand to her chin in thought. "I could probably answer all my questions in, say, six hours."

Zelgadis closed his eyes, thinking over all the possibilities and firmly igoring the wolf that was barking incessantly behind him. After several minutes he opened his eyes and looked at the mazoku squarely. "All right, now for my counter offer." The woman smiled, looking highly amused. "Nothing permanent. Nothing that would change my body – for better _or_ worse. If you do something that seems serious, but you can heal, that's fine _if_ you heal it. And . . ." his voice trailed off in thought.

She smiled at him. "And if I find anything about your cure, you want to know that, too." Zelgadis suddenly couldn't meet the woman's eyes; this made her laugh. "All right, if you want information on my priest _and_ your cure, it will cost more. And if you're limiting my options on experiments, I will need more time. What's your offer, grey priest?"

"Grey priest?" Zelgadis asked, momentarily forgetting what this conversation was about.

"Now you're asking for three pieces of information. Are you willing to pay enough to get all three?"

"Never mind," the chimera muttered. He was curious about the name, but this was already going to cost him enough. "How much time do you want?"

"Leaving it up to me? That's rather brave of you. But then, you've already limited me to non-painful forms of experimentation-"

"Non-permanent. I didn't say anything about pain."

The blonde was silent. Then she smiled and leaned back, openly laughing now. "All right, little grey priest. I want twelve hours."

Zelgadis nodded. "And then you'll weasel out of giving me what I want because you didn't get enough information." The woman's eyes widened and it was Zelgadis' turn to laugh. "I've spent more than enough time around Xellos to understand how mazoku think. And since you are his master, he must have learned a lot of it from you." He looked up, locking eyes with the woman again. "A day. And you hold nothing back."

Jouou-sama leaned forward. One hand lifted, brushing gently against rough stony skin. Zelgadis didn't flinch. "A day then." Zelgadis jerked suddenly as a massive bolt of energy lanced through his skull and he slumped into deep unconsciousness.


	5. Friendship

The end of the story! **IMPORTANT **- I mentioned this in chapter one, but I feel the need to repeat myself. I have another Slayers story - Z / X yaoi - that I CAN NOT post here due to sexual content and adult themes. Please, if anyone out there likes my writing and has a place they might want to put it, contact me.

This chapter - The final secrets are revealed. Or, mostly in any case. Will Zelgadis survive his day with the Beast Master? And what will Xellos think about his little plan? Something is forming between these two creatures . . . maybe even friendship (Hey, I said it was only sort of Z / X yaoi, all right?)

* * *

"Zelgadis, wake up. Please wake up."

The chimera answered with a shaking breath followed by a heartfelt scream. He forced his eyes open, containing his cries of pain to quiet wimpers as much as possible. It felt as if each stone embedded in his skin was on fire and his head was throbbing with such intensity it made him nauscious. "Xellos?" he managed, recognising the purple hair, but not able to make out the priest's features.

"Zelgadis, what are you doing here? What in all the hells is Xellas-sama doing to you?"

The shaman tried valiently to sit up without screaming in agony and failed rather miserably on both counts. "How long have I been out?"

"You realise she could kill you? Whatever you hope to gain by putting yourself through this-"

"How long?" He repeated between groans.

Xellos hesitated. "She said she was being kind. You've been unconscious, _at her complete mercy_, for about eleven hours. She says she needs you awake for the rest. Zelgadis-"

"Then tell her I'm awake. I don't want to waste any more time than I have to." Xellos moved his mouth soundlessly for a moment before he let out a frustrated sigh and disappeared.

* * *

It was hours before Xellos was summoned. He spent the whole time pacing. Why? _Why_ was Zelgadis here, letting Xellas-sama do anything she wanted to him? _Why_ had Xellas-sama forbade him from being anywhere nearby while she was doing it? _Why_ did she now want him to take Zelgadis to Ashfeld?

"Sama, why there?"

"That is a secret, you should know that."

"But sama, for the last century you have ordered me to void Ashfeld and anyone from there! If I may ask-"

"You may not." Xellos floundered for words even as he struggled to maintain his composure. The beast master suddenly held a filing folder out to him. "You are not to read this, look at this, open it in any way. Stay with the chimera until he wakes up and then give it to him. Have I made myself clear?"

Still at a complete loss, Xellos nodded and took the file. He rested a hand lightly on Zelgadis' blood stained shoulder and phased them both into a small inn in Ashfeld. He left the broken boy on the bed and phased into the lobby, scarring the old man behind the counter half to death. "I've taken room twelve, upstairs. Not sure how long I'll need it, but this should cover it." He dropped a small pouch of gold coins onto the counter with a grin.

The old man squinted at him. "Have we met?" Xellos gave the man a breif glare and disappeared without giving a response.

Xellos didn't move from Zelgadis' side until the chimera stirred. The shaman's eyes cracked open and he drew a deep breath that was somewhere between a groan and a sob. His head lolled to one side and his barely open, unfocused eyes fell on Xellos. "Where-" he couldn't get anything else out before gasping and moaning again in pain.

Xellos lay one gloved hand on his stiff wire hair, petting it lightly in an effort to soothe the tortured man. "You're safe. She's let you go. Xellas-sama said you still owed her four hours-"

"What!" Zelgadis surged up a few inches before he fell back down to the bed, painwracked sobs tearing past his lips. "No, that means-"

Seeing where this was heading Xellos shushed the boy. "No, Zel, no. You passed out again and she said your body couldn't take any more. But she gave me this, it's what you were looking for." Zelgadis looked at the manilla folder Xellos was holding in front of him. The pain drained from his face for a moment, replaced by the most profound releif. "Zel-kun, what's in here? What did you risk your life for?"

"It's information. A spell, similar to the original."

A bitter laugh came from the trickster priest. "After everything I did to keep it from you. You just went right over my head and-"

"It's not for me, Xellos. It's you." Xellos stopped, his face belaying the utter shock he felt. "Why do you spell your name with an X if there's no such letter in the mazoku alphabet?" Xellos swallowed thickly, frightened. Zelgadis was slipping into sleep again, but he was talking about something that he should have no knowledge about at all. "It's because," the shaman continued in a whisper, "you weren't . . . always . . . mazoku."

Xellos gaped at the unconscious boy. "How . . ."

* * *

Zelgadis turned his head to the side, instictively running from the sunlight that lanced across his face. When the escape didn't succeed, the chimera stiffly opened his eyes. Xellos was sitting beside him, face serious, a slight frown pulling at his mouth. Zelgadis struggled into a sitting position, never taking his eyes off the priest. "I'm feeling better," he said dumbly.

Xellos nodded. "I did what I can to heal your body and I brought in a shrine maiden to heal what I couldn't. You're still badly hurt, but I did what I could and I'm no longer afraid of you dying in your sleep." Zelgadis nodded mutely. "Zel-kun, how do you know about my name?"

A small smile lighted stone lips. Silently he pulled at the bandages that were still wrapped around his left wrist. Still equally silent, he handed the folded paper to the mazoku who had written it. Xellos' lips pursed and he nodded stiffly, looking at the translitterated poem. "I have no idea what it says, exactly, but I transcribed the whole stupid alphabet. I don't know if that poem is about you or me, or hell, Xellas. But I do know there is no X in the alphabet."

Xellos crumpled the paper in anger. "You know, most people when I threaten them _don't_ go sticking their nose into the thing that made me angry in the first place."

Zelgadis nodded slightly. "Well, I've spent years searching for a cure that may very well be non-existant. I'm stubborn." The shaman looked towards the window. "Where are we?"

"We, my dear Zelgadis, are in the town that I grew up in before I started working for Xellas-sama."

"When you were human."

Xellos sighed with mixed frustration and annoyance. "I'm not sure what you expect to find here. I haven't been within twenty miles of this place in more than a century. And for the record, Xellos wasn't my name back then. I spell my name with an X because Xellas spells hers with an X. You'll have to ask her for the reasons."

Zelgadis looked back at the priest. "What was your name?"

Xellos hesitated, not meeting the other's eyes. "Why, all of a sudden, are you trying to help me? I thought you hated me?"

The shaman smiled, dropping his gaze to the bedsheets. "I'm your hope, right? I guess being told something like that can change a person. In the end it was the pictures that started it."

Xellos growled. "You were _never_ supposed to see those."

"What was your name?"

Xellos was silent for a long time before he finally sighed. "Miroshi. It was Miroshi."

Zelgadis lay back down. "Miroshi . . . I can't focus on your spell, you know that, don't you? I still have my own to find."

"I wouldn't want you locked in a laboratory deciphering that thing for the rest of your life, anyway. And you realise that Xellas-sama will be furious if you try to go through with anything. She'll hold you to your contract – four more hours."

Zelgadis nodded. "But I have plenty of time to think of how to deal with that. Right now, all I want is something to eat."

For the first time during the whole conversation, Xellos smiled. "I already told the chef to have fresh octopus ready. If you'll give me a moment, I'll go get you some fine fish cuisine."

Zelgadis let his eyes slip closed and nodded. "I'll be waiting."

Xellos disappeared with a small laugh, his voice lingering in the air. "And if you're good, we can have some chocolate ice cream, too."


End file.
